1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates to a double headed brush coupled with a dental floss holder to permit simultaneous brushing of both sides of the teeth while flossing the interdental surfaces.
2. Description of Prior Art
The common method of cleaning teeth is to pass a single brush over each accessible surface followed by passing a specially prepared string between the teeth to clean the interdental surfaces un-reachable by a brush. Many people then re-brush to ensure that the interdental particles are removed from the zone to the teeth. The present invention permits a person to perform all three functions with one implement, and approximately simultaneously. It also encourages the equivalent of re-brushing after flossing.
Common brush configurations are designed such that they operate with preference to cleaning the outer flat surfaces of the teeth. The curved surfaces connecting the outer surfaces and the interdental surfaces are cleaned, but only because the brushing operation forces some of the bristles into the entrances slots.
Multiple brush assemblies and specially shaped brushes have been invented to simultaneously brush cheek and lingual surfaces of teeth. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,498,209, 5,094,256 and others have examples of dual brush assemblies. Many devices have been invented to more easily utilize dental floss. These usually take either of two shapes, a forked handle or a bow handle, with the dental floss strung between co-operating floss guides. Most of these also contain a holding chamber for a spool of common floss. A few flossing aids have separate handles, which are basically finger analogs, manipulated either by both hands or one hand chopstick style. U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,256, is one of many examples of a fork type flosser. Integral floss spool holders are generally rejected because of the probability of contamination of the floss supply in the spool during normal use.
Barth, U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,256, is the only prior art found that combines tooth brushes and dental floss for simultaneous use. Barth's floss is strung along side and a little apart from the brushes. The position taught by Barth interferes with both the co-operation of the brush and floss to clean teeth better than the prior art. The position also interferes with proper application of the brushes to both adjacent teeth and associated gum lines.
Barth's disclosure teaches floss threaded through holes in a forked handle. Barth recites difficulty with threading floss through holes, particular in the presence of water. Barth provides a solution to the threading problem by adding a new structural element in the form of fastening a length of floss to a needle like rod for inserting through the holes. This solution also teaches away from any invention designed for simultaneous use of floss and brushes, because, as taught, it precludes simultaneous use of his brushes and floss.
The present invention overcomes these objections by providing floss holding slot terminating near the center of the bristle bunches at the working head of the tooth brush. With this new configuration, threading is easily accomplished wet or dry and the brushes can work all around the strand of floss.